Revised Lesson for Observation #1

Writers Workshop: How to write a strong conclusion paragraph.

Aim: Students will be able to restate their main idea (thesis) in a new way
and include a "final insight" that conveys their own thinking about their
topic.

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.E
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation
presented.

Previous Lessons: Students chose their own topic to write about within the
Native American Unit of Study and have been working on their topic for
several weeks. Students have been guided through the writing process to
create their informational pieces. Students have taken notes, planned
paragraphs, and completed a first draft prior to this lesson.

Materials: How to Write a Strong Conclusion anchor chart, index cards,

pencils, post-it notes, first drafts, and notes on topic.

Beginning:

Teacher: Today we are going to write our Final Insight sentence for our
conclusion paragraph. What do I mean when I say, final insight? What is an
insight?

Teacher: In other words, why is the topic you chose to study and write about
important to you? Why do we study the past? What connections can you
make between yourself and your topic?

Teacher: As a whole class lets work on writing a final insight for our whole
unit on Native Americans. Lets imagine that we are giving a presentation of
ALL of our learning throughout the unit and now we need to just figure out
what the very last thing we are going to say is. What would be the most
impactful insight we could leave our audience with?

Turn and talk to your neighbor. What could our Final Insight for our unit on
Native Americans be?

Chart several student responses.

Ask: what do you think is the most impactful? Why?
Whole group, teacher models how to brainstorm an effective "final insight"
statement. What is the purpose of the conclusion paragraph? Restate your
thesis, summarize your supporting sub-topics, and write a final insight or
so what statement.

Big idea: why is this topic important to you? Why did you choose it? How
does it relate to you? The so what? statement.

Development: Students work independently to develop their own Final

Insight statements and write them on an index card. Ask students to push
their thinking to explain in their own words why their topic is important to
them.

Culmination: Students pair and share their work. Students read each
other's writing and give feedback. Did they include in their own thinking? Do
you think it explains to the reader why their project has been important to
them?

Assessment: Collect the index cards to assess their Final Insights. Underline
in red the students own thinking and give feedback by asking questions or
commenting. Look for connections between the student today and the topic
they choose to write about.